Messaging interface for managing order changes

ABSTRACT

In a delivery service, a picker retrieves items specified in an order by a customer. If a picker encounters an issue with an item in the order, the picker may select, via a user interface, the item and an associated template message, which requests input from the customer regarding a course of action for the item, to send to the customer. The customer may select, via another user interface, a template message describing a course of action for the item. In response to receiving one of a subset of template messages, the online concierge system displays via the user interface, a set of replacement options to the customer, who may select one of the replacement options to be sent to the picker with the template message.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates generally to sending and receiving orderchanges. More particularly, the disclosure relates to communicatingorder changes via chat interfaces in an online concierge system.

In current online concierge systems, a customer adds items to an onlineshopping cart from a list of items at a retailer. These items create thecustomer's order, which is retrieved by a picker at the retailer who“shops” for the customer. Though customers may initially specify itemsin the order, the picker may encounter issues as they fulfill orders.Some commonly encountered issues may include an item being out of stock,low in stock, or low in quality. However, customers may have differentpreferences of what to do about an issue, so pickers need a way toaddress these issues with a customer to receive information about theirpreferences for the order. Additionally, customers need a way to respondto these issues, such as accepting a replacement option suggested by apicker or requesting a refund for an item. For example, if an item isout of stock in one flavor, but is available in another flavor, thepicker may want to ask the customer if they would like to replace theunavailable item with the available item. Further, the customer may notlike the other flavor and prefer a refund or other remedy for the itemrather than the replacement option.

SUMMARY

To streamline the resolution of issues with items in an order, an onlineconcierge system generates chat communication channels between customersand pickers as part of a delivery service, such as a grocery deliveryservice. When a picker is fulfilling an order and encounters an issuewith an item, the picker can initiate a chat with a customer to resolvethe issue. Using a picker mobile application, the picker may view apicker order interface including a scrollable list of items in the orderand select the item. The picker order interface may display a set ofpredetermined messages, or template messages, about the item indicatingwhat the issue is and, in some embodiments, suggesting a course ofaction for the item. The online concierge system sends this templatemessage as a message to the customer, which the customer views through acustomer ordering interface from a customer mobile application. Thecustomer ordering interface may also display a scrollable list ofremedies for the issue, which describe possible courses of action forthe item, such as picking a replacement item, changing the quantity ofthe item, or receiving a refund for the item. The customer may choose atemplate message associated with a course of action, which is sent tothe picker.

More particularly, in some embodiments, the online concierge systemreceives an order, which is comprised of a plurality of items. Theonline concierge system displays the order via a chat interface in ascrollable list of items. A picker may interact with this chat interfaceto select an item from the scrollable list, indicating that there is anissue with the item. The online concierge system receives the selectionof the item, and, in response, displays, via the chat interface, a setof template messages specifying the item. The online concierge systemreceives a selection of one of the set of template messages, as chosenby the picker, and transmits the template message to a client deviceassociated with a customer. The customer may choose a course of actionfor the item, such as removing the item from the order, and the onlineconcierge system transmits a message indicating this course of action tothe picker.

In some embodiments, the online concierge system receives an order froma customer and transmits the order to a client device associated with apicker. When a picker encounters an issue with an item in the order, thepicker indicates so via a mobile application on the client device, andthe online concierge system receives, via a chat interface, a messagefrom the client device indicating that an item in the order is notavailable and requesting a course of action for the item. The onlineconcierge system displays, via the chat interface, a set of templatemessages indicating possible courses of action for the item, such asreplacing the item with a related item. The customer selects a templatemessage, and in response to receiving one of a subset of templatemessages as the selection, the online concierge system displays a set ofreplacement options for the item. The customer chooses a replacementoption, and the online concierge system receives a selection of one ofthe set of replacement options. The online concierge system thentransmits the template message to the picker indicating the course ofaction for the item.

The features and advantages described in the specification are not allinclusive and, in particular, many additional features and advantageswill be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of thedrawings, specification, and claims. Moreover, it should be noted thatthe language used in the specification has been principally selected forreadability and instructional purposes, and may not have been selectedto delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates the environment of an online concierge system,according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an online concierge system, according toone embodiment.

FIG. 3A is a block diagram of the customer mobile application (CMA),according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3B is a block diagram of the picker mobile application (PMA),according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4A is an example of a picker order interface depicting an order onthe picker mobile application, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4B is an example of a picker order interface depicting an item froman order on the picker mobile application, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4C is an example of a picker order interface displaying templatemessages for an item on the picker mobile application, according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 4D is an example of a picker order interface displaying a messagefor an item on the picker mobile application, according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 5A is an example of a customer ordering interface displayingtemplate messages for an item in an order on the customer mobileapplication, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 5B is an example of a customer ordering interface displaying atemplate message for replacing an item on the customer mobileapplication, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process for using the picker mobileapplication to determine a course of action for an item, according toone embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a process for using the customermobile application to determine a course of action for an item,according to one embodiment.

The figures depict embodiments of the present invention for purposes ofillustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognize fromthe following description that alternative embodiments of the structuresand methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing fromthe principles of the invention described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Environment of an Online Concierge System

FIG. 1 illustrates the environment 100 of an online concierge system102, according to one embodiment. The figures use like referencenumerals to identify like elements. A letter after a reference numeral,such as “110 a,” indicates that the text refers specifically to theelement having that particular reference numeral. A reference numeral inthe text without a following letter, such as “110,” refers to any or allof the elements in the figures bearing that reference numeral. Forexample, “110” in the text refers to reference numerals “110 a” and/or“110 b” in the figures.

The environment 100 includes an online concierge system 102. The onlineconcierge system 102 is configured to receive orders from one or morecustomers 104 (only one is shown for the sake of simplicity). An orderspecifies a list of goods (items or products) to be delivered to thecustomer 104. The order also specifies the location to which the goodsare to be delivered, and a time window during which the goods should bedelivered. In some embodiments, the order specifies one or moreretailers from which the selected items should be purchased. Thecustomer 104 may use a customer mobile application (CMA) 106 to placethe order; the CMA 106 is configured to communicate with the onlineconcierge system 102.

The online concierge system 102 is configured to transmit ordersreceived from customers 104 to one or more pickers 108. A picker 108 maybe a contractor, employee, or other person (or entity) who is enabled tofulfill orders received by the online concierge system 102. Theenvironment 100 also includes three retailers 110 a, 110 b, and 110 c(only three are shown for the sake of simplicity; the environment couldinclude hundreds of retailers). The retailers 110 may be physicalretailers, such as grocery stores, discount stores, department stores,etc., or non-public warehouses storing items that can be collected anddelivered to customers 104. Each picker 108 fulfills an order receivedfrom the online concierge system 102 at one or more retailers 110,delivers the order to the customer 104, or performs both fulfillment anddelivery. In one embodiment, pickers 108 make use of a picker mobileapplication 112 which is configured to interact with the onlineconcierge system 102.

Online Concierge System

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an online concierge system 102, accordingto one embodiment. The online concierge system 102 includes an inventorymanagement engine 202, which interacts with inventory systems associatedwith each retailer 110. In one embodiment, the inventory managementengine 202 requests and receives inventory information maintained by theretailer 110. The inventory of each retailer 110 is unique and maychange over time. The inventory management engine 202 monitors changesin inventory for each participating retailer 110. The inventorymanagement engine 202 is also configured to store inventory records inan inventory database 204. The inventory database 204 may storeinformation in separate records—one for each participating retailer110—or may consolidate or combine inventory information into a unifiedrecord. Inventory information includes both qualitative and qualitativeinformation about items, including size, color, weight, SKU, serialnumber, and so on. In one embodiment, the inventory database 204 alsostores purchasing rules associated with each item, if they exist. Forexample, age-restricted items such as alcohol and tobacco are flaggedaccordingly in the inventory database 204.

The online concierge system 102 also includes an order fulfillmentengine 206 which is configured to synthesize and display an orderinginterface to each customer 104 (for example, via the customer mobileapplication 106). The order fulfillment engine 206 is also configured toaccess the inventory database 204 in order to determine which productsare available at which retailers 110. The order fulfillment engine 206determines a sale price for each item ordered by a customer 104. Pricesset by the order fulfillment engine 206 may or may not be identical toin-store prices determined by retailers 110 (which is the price thatcustomers 104 and pickers 108 would pay at retailers). The orderfulfillment engine 206 also facilitates transactions associated witheach order. In one embodiment, the order fulfillment engine 206 chargesa payment instrument associated with a customer 104 when he/she placesan order. The order fulfillment engine 206 may transmit paymentinformation to an external payment gateway or payment processor. Theorder fulfillment engine 206 stores payment and transactionalinformation associated with each order in a transaction records database208.

The order fulfillment engine 206 also determines replacement options foritems in an order. For each item in an order, the order fulfillmentengine 206 may retrieve data describing items in previous ordersfacilitated by the online concierge system 102, previously selectedreplacement options for that item, and similar items. Similar items maybe items of the same brand or type or of a different flavor. Based onthis data, the order fulfillment engine 206 creates a set of replacementoptions for each item in the order comprising the items from the data.The order fulfillment engine 206 ranks replacement options in the set todetermine which items to display to the customer 104. In someembodiments, the order fulfillment engine 206 may rank the replacementoptions by the number of previous orders containing the replacementoption or user quality ratings gathered by the online concierge system102. In some embodiments, the order fulfillment engine 206 only usesdata for the customer 104 related to the order to suggest replacementoptions.

In some embodiments, the order fulfillment engine 206 also shares orderdetails with retailer 110. For example, after successful fulfillment ofan order, the order fulfillment engine 206 may transmit a summary of theorder to the appropriate retailer 110. The summary may indicate theitems purchased, the total value of the items, and in some cases, anidentity of the picker 108 and customer 104 associated with thetransaction. In one embodiment, the order fulfillment engine 206 pushestransaction and/or order details asynchronously to retailer systems.This may be accomplished via use of webhooks, which enable programmaticor system-driven transmission of information between web applications.In another embodiment, retailer systems may be configured toperiodically poll the order fulfillment engine 206, which providesdetail of all orders which have been processed since the last request.

The order fulfillment engine 206 may interact with a picker managementengine 210, which manages communication with and utilization of pickers108. In one embodiment, the picker management engine 210 receives a neworder from the order fulfillment engine 206. The picker managementengine 210 identifies the appropriate retailer 110 to fulfill the orderbased on one or more parameters, such as the contents of the order, theinventory of the retailers 110, and the proximity to the deliverylocation. The picker management engine 210 then identifies one or moreappropriate pickers 108 to fulfill the order based on one or moreparameters, such as the picker's proximity to the appropriate retailer110 (and/or to the customer 104), his/her familiarity level with thatparticular retailer 110, and so on. Additionally, the picker managementengine 210 accesses a picker database 212 which stores informationdescribing each picker 108, such as his/her name, gender, rating,previous shopping history, and so on. The picker management engine 210transmits the list of items in the order to the picker 108 via thepicker mobile application 112. The picker database 212 may also storedata describing the sequence in which the pickers 108 picked the itemsin their assigned orders.

As part of fulfilling an order, the order fulfillment engine 206 and/orpicker management engine 210 may access a customer database 214 whichstores information describing each customer 104. This information couldinclude each customer's name, address, gender, shopping preferences,favorite items, stored payment instruments, and so on.

The online concierge system 102 may use a communication engine 216 thattransmits information between the customer mobile application 106 andthe picker mobile application 112. The information may be sent in theform of messages, such as texts or emails, or notifications viaapplication, among other forms of communication. The communicationengine 216 may receive information from each application about thestatus of an order, the location of a customer 104 in transit, issueswith items in an order, and the like. The communication engine 216determines a message or notification to send to a customer 104 or picker108 based on this information and transmits the notifications to theappropriate application. In one embodiment, the online concierge system102 may receive messages composed via a user interface of the pickermobile application 112 and transmit the messages to the customer mobileapplication 106 (or vice versa) via the communication engine 216. Forexample, a picker 108 may compose, via a picker order interface, amessage indicating that an item of an order is not available. The onlineconcierge system 102 may receive the message from the picker mobileapplication 112 and transmit the message to the customer mobileapplication 106 associated with the order. The customer 104 may interactwith a customer ordering interface to indicate a course of action forthe item, such as to remove the item from the order. The onlineconcierge system 102 receives this information and transmits it in theform of a message to the picker mobile application 112.

FIG. 3A is a block diagram of the customer mobile application (CMA) 106,according to one embodiment. The customer 104 accesses the CMA 106 via aclient device, such as a mobile phone, tablet, laptop, or desktopcomputer. The CMA 106 may be accessed through an app running on theclient device or through a website accessed in a browser. The CMA 106includes an ordering interface 302, which provides an interactiveinterface, known as a customer ordering interface, with which thecustomer 104 can browse through and select products and place an order.

Customers 104 may also use the customer ordering interface to messagewith pickers 108 and receive notifications regarding the status of theirorders. Customers 104 may view their orders and communicate with pickers108 regarding an issue with an item in an order using the customerordering interface. For example, a customer 104 may respond to a messagefrom a picker 108 indicating that an item cannot be retrieved for theorder by selecting a replacement option for the item or requesting arefund via buttons on the customer ordering interface. Based on thechosen course of action, the customer ordering interface generates anddisplays a template message for the customer 104 to send to the picker108. The customer 104 may edit the template message to include moreinformation about the item or course of action and communicate back andforth with the picker 108 until the issue is resolved.

The CMA 106 also includes a system communication interface 304 which,among other functions, receives inventory information from the onlineconcierge system 102 and transmits order information to the onlineconcierge system 102. The CMA 106 also includes a preferences managementinterface 306 which allows the customer 104 to manage basic informationassociated with his/her account, such as his/her home address andpayment instruments. The preferences management interface 306 may alsoallow the user to manage other details such as his/her favorite orpreferred retailers 110, preferred delivery times, special instructionsfor delivery, and so on.

FIG. 3B is a block diagram of the picker mobile application (PMA) 112,according to one embodiment. The picker 108 accesses the PMA 112 via amobile client device, such as a mobile phone or tablet. The PMA 112 maybe accessed through an app running on the mobile client device orthrough a website accessed in a browser. The PMA 112 includes a barcodescanning module 320 which allows a picker 108 to scan an item at aretailer 110 (such as a can of soup on the shelf at a grocery store).The barcode scanning module 320 may also include an interface whichallows the picker 108 to manually enter information describing an item(such as its serial number, SKU, quantity and/or weight) if a barcode isnot available to be scanned. The PMA 112 also includes a basket manager322 which maintains a running record of items collected by the picker108 for purchase at a retailer 110. This running record of items iscommonly known as a “basket.” In one embodiment, the barcode scanningmodule 320 transmits information describing each item (such as its cost,quantity, weight, etc.) to the basket manager 322, which updates itsbasket accordingly. The PMA 112 also includes an image encoder 326 whichencodes the contents of a basket into an image. For example, the imageencoder 326 may encode a basket of goods (with an identification of eachitem) into a QR code which can then be scanned by an employee of theretailer 110 at check-out.

The PMA 112 also includes a system communication interface 324, whichinteracts with the online concierge system 102. For example, the systemcommunication interface 324 receives information from the onlineconcierge system 102 about the items of an order, such as when acustomer 104 updates an order to include more or fewer items. The systemcommunication interface may receive notifications and messages from theonline concierge system 102 indicating information about an order orcommunications from a customer 104. The system communication interface324 may send this information to the order interface engine 328, whichgenerates a picker order interface.

A picker order interface is an interactive interface through whichpickers 108 may interact message with customers 104 and receivenotifications regarding the status of orders they are assigned. Pickers108 may view their orders through the picker order interface andindicate when there is an issue with an item in an order, such as theitem being out of stock or of poor quality. A picker 108 may draft amessage to a customer 104 associated with the order requestingclarification about what to do for the item given the issue. The pickerorder interface displays template messages for the picker 108 to choosefrom regarding the item and the picker 108 may edit the template messageto include more information about the item or a question for thecustomer 104. The picker 108 communicate back and forth with thecustomer 104 until the issue is resolved.

FIG. 4A is an example of a picker order interface 400A depicting anorder 405 on the picker mobile application 112, according to oneembodiment. A picker 108 may use the picker order interface 400A whengathering items 410 for an order 405 at a retailer 110. The picker orderinterface 400A displays a scrollable list of items 410 in the order 405,including the brand or type of the item 410, the quantity ordered, theprice of the item 410, and an image of the item 410. In otherembodiments, the scrollable list may include other information about theitems 410, such as quantity of each item 410 left in stock, location ofeach item 410 at the retailer 110, or name of the customer 104associated with the order 405. A picker 108 may scroll through the listto view more items 410 of the order 405 or may interact with an iconrepresenting the item 410 to view more information about the item 410.

FIG. 4B is an example of a picker order interface 400B depicting an item410 from an order 405 on the picker mobile application 112, according toone embodiment. The picker ordering interface 400B displays the item 410(e.g., “Granny Smith Apples”) and shows a price of the item 410, thelocation of the item 410 at the retailer 110, and the quantity orderedof the item 410. In other embodiments, the picker order interface 400Bmay also display the other information about the item 410, such as apicture of the location of the item 410 at the retailer 110. The pickerordering interface 400B includes several buttons and icons the picker108 may interact with. The picker 108 may interact with the “Found Item”415 button to indicate that they have found the item 410 at the retailer110 and retrieved the item 410 for the order 405. If the picker 108cannot find the item 410, the picker 108 may interact with the “Can'tFind Item” 420 button to request a desired course of action for the item410 from the customer 104. The picker 108 may also interact with the“Ask a question” 425 button to send a custom message to the customer104.

FIG. 4C is an example of a picker order interface 400C displayingtemplate messages 435 for the item 410 on the picker mobile application112, according to one embodiment. In some embodiments, this picker orderinterface 400C is displayed after the picker 108 interacts with the“Can't Find Item” 420 button from FIG. 4B. The picker order interface400C displays multiple template messages 435 in a slider (or, in otherembodiments, a scrollable list). Template messages may include “Notavailable,” which indicates that the item 410 is not in stock at theretailer 110, and “Poor quality,” which indicates that the retailer 110has the item 410 but the quality of the item 410 is not good (e.g., theapples are bruised or moldy). The picker order interface 400C may alsoinclude other template messages 435 not shown in FIG. 4C. For example,other template messages 435 may indicate a specific brand or type of theitem 410 is not available or the item 410 is only available in smallerquantity than ordered. The picker order interface 400C includes amessage input box 440 where the picker 108 may input and edit text byinteracting with the keyboard 445. The message input box 440 shows theitem 410, and the picker 108 may choose a template message 435 to bedisplayed in the message input box 440 that may be sent as a message tothe customer 104. Additionally, the picker 108 may interact with thecamera icon 430 to take a picture of replacement options or to show thequality of the item available at the retailer 110 and send the pictureto the customer 104 along with the message.

FIG. 4D is an example of a picker order interface 400D displaying amessage 450 for the item 410 on the picker mobile application 112,according to one embodiment. In this embodiment, the picker 108 chosethe template message 435 “Not available,” indicating that the retailer110 does not have the item 410 in stock. In the picker order interface400D, the message input box 440 is populated with a message 450corresponding to the chosen template message 435 and including the item410. The picker 108 may edit the message 450 in the message input box440 using the keyboard 445 to add custom information to the message 450before sending it to the customer 104.

FIG. 5A is an example of a customer ordering interface 500A displayingtemplate messages 520 for the item 510 in the order 505 on the customermobile application 106, according to one embodiment. The customerordering interface 500A displays a received message 515 from a picker108 indicating that there is an issue with an item 510 from a customer's104 order 505. Along with the received message 515, the customerordering interface 500A includes template messages 520 the customer 104may choose to designate a course of action for the item 510. As shown inFIG. 5A, a customer 104 may choose a template message 520 by interactingwith buttons on the customer ordering interface 500A. The templatemessages 520 indicate possible courses of action, such as requesting areplacement option 525 for the item 510, requesting a new quantity ofthe item 510 (chosen via a quantity drop-down list 515), or requesting arefund 535 of the item 510, among other remedies for the item.

In the customer ordering interface 500A, the replacement options 525 forthe item 510 “Granny Smith Apples” are displayed in a slider.Replacement options are items similar to the item 510, and the customer104 may interact with the replacement options 525 by scrolling throughthe slider or selecting a replacement option to replace the item 510. InFIG. 5A, the replacement options 525 include “Fuji Apples” and “PinkLady Apples.” In some embodiments, the customer 104 may choose areplacement option 525 by searching a database of replacement options525 available at the retailer 110. In other embodiments, the sliderincludes a “Show More Options” button that the customer 104 may interactwith to see more replacement options 525. The customer orderinginterface 500A also allows the customer 104 to alter the quantity of theitem 510 using the quantity drop-down list 530, or, in some embodiments,by manually entering a quantity. The customer 104 may also may interactwith the camera icon 540 to take a picture of an item 510 for the picker108 to find as a replacement. In other embodiments, the customer 104 maytype a message to the picker 108, instead of using a template message520, to indicate a custom course of action for the item 510.

FIG. 5B is an example of a customer ordering interface 500B displaying amessage 545 for replacing the item 510 on the customer mobileapplication 106, according to one embodiment. In this embodiment, thecustomer 104 chose the replacement option 525 “Fuji Apples.” Thisselection caused the CMA 106 to populate the message input box 440 withthe template message 520, which, along with the item 510 “Granny SmithApples,” comprises the message 545. Further, the customer 104 mayinteract with the keyboard 445 to alter the message 545 before sendingthe message 545 to the picker 108. In further embodiments, the picker108 customer 104 may continue to message back and forth using the pickerorder interface 400 and the customer ordering interface 500,respectfully, to resolve any other issues with the order 505.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process for using the picker mobileapplication 112 to determine a course of action for an item, accordingto one embodiment. The online concierge system 102 receives 605 an orderfrom a customer 104 via the CMA 106. The order may specify a variety ofitems for purchase, such as grocery items or household goods, and aretailer 110. The online concierge system 102 designates a picker 108 atthe retailer 110 to retrieve the items in the order and displays 610,via the PMA 112, a scrollable list of the items in the order to thepicker 108. In some embodiments, the list of items is displayed in otherforms instead of a scrollable list, such as a slider of items or achecklist of items. The scrollable list may include information aboutthe items, such as price, quantity ordered, and whether the item is instock.

The picker 108 scrolls through the scrollable list of items to designateitems that have been found and retrieved for the order and designateissues with items. The online concierge system 102 receives 615 aselection of an item in the order from the PMA 112, the selectionindicating that the order needs to be changed because there is an issuewith the item. Issues may include the item being out of stock, lackingin quantity, of poor quality, or otherwise unavailable. In response toreceiving the selection of the item from the picker 108, the onlineconcierge system 102 displays 620 a set of template messages to thepicker 108 via a picker order interface. The template messages eachspecify a different issue with the order that requires resolution fromthe customer 104. Examples include that the item is not available at theretailer 110, the item is of poor quality, the item is not available inthe quantity ordered, and the item is not available in the type or brandordered. In some embodiments, each item is associated with a differentset of template messages. For example, a produce item may be associatedwith a template message indicating that the item is poor quality, whilea cleaning item is not.

The online concierge system 102 receives 625 a selection from the picker108 of one of the template messages. The picker order interface displaysthe template message, and the picker 108 may edit the template messageto add custom information, such as alternative options to resolve theissue with the item or a picture of the options available at theretailer 110. Once the picker 108 indicates via the picker orderinterface that the template message, edited or not, is ready to send,the online concierge system 102 transmits 630 the template message tothe CMA 106 to obtain information from the customer 104. The CMA 106displays, via a customer ordering interface, the template message, asfurther described in FIG. 7, and the online concierge system 102receives 635 from the customer 104 a message indicating a course ofaction for the item.

It is appreciated that although FIG. 6 illustrates a number ofinteractions according to one embodiment, the precise interactionsand/or order of interactions may vary in different embodiments. Forexample, in some embodiments, the online concierge system 102 transmitsmore messages from the PMA 112 to the CMA 106 regarding other issueswith the order.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a process for using the customermobile application 106 to determine a course of action for an item,according to one embodiment. A customer 104 selects a variety of itemsfor an order using a customer ordering interface on the CMA 106, and theonline concierge system 102 transmits 705 the order to the PMA 112. Apicker 108 views the order via a picker order interface and retrievesthe items in the order at a retailer 110 to fulfill the order. When thepicker 108 encounters an issue with an item, the picker 108 sends amessage to the customer 104 indicating that there is an issue with theitem, and the online concierge system 102 receives 710 the message fromthe PMA 112.

The online concierge system 102 displays 715, via the customer orderinginterface, a set of template messages the customer 104 may use torespond to the message from the picker 108. Each template messageindicates a course of action for the item, such as to remove the itemfrom the order and obtain a refund or to replace the item with adifferent item. In some embodiments, the template message may includeanother remedy for the item, such as a request for information regardingavailable replacement options in-store from the picker 108. The customerordering interface may also display the option for the customer 104 tochange the quantity of the item.

The online concierge system 102 receives 720 a selection of one of theset of template messages from the customer 104. In this embodiment, theselection indicates that the customer 104 would like to replace the itemwith another item. In response to receiving one of a subset of thetemplate messages as the selection 725, the online concierge system 102displays 730, via the customer ordering interface, a set of replacementoptions and receives 735 a selection of one of the replacement options,which is inserted into the template message. In this embodiment, thesubset off template messages request that the picker 108 substitute areplacement item for the item, whereas the other template messages donot. For example, the customer 104 may receive a message indicating thatthe item “Moo Moo organic milk” is not available and selects a templatemessage describing a replacement option for the item. The customerordering interface may display multiple replacement options, such as“Moo Moo whole milk” or “Dairy Farms organic milk,” which are differenttypes and brands of milk. In other embodiments, the customer orderinginterface display other remedies, such as a refund for the item. Thecustomer 104 may select one of the replacement options or find an optionin a database of items. The online concierge system displays thetemplate message to the customer 104 describing the replacement option,which the customer 104 can edit. The online concierge system then 102transmits 740 the template message to the picker 108.

It is appreciated that although FIG. 7 illustrates a number ofinteractions according to one embodiment, the precise interactionsand/or order of interactions may vary in different embodiments. Forexample, in some embodiments, if the customer 104 selects a templatemessage that does not request a replacement for the item, the onlineconcierge system does not display replacement options for the item.

Other Considerations

The present invention has been described in particular detail withrespect to one possible embodiment. Those of skill in the art willappreciate that the invention may be practiced in other embodiments.First, the particular naming of the components and variables,capitalization of terms, the attributes, data structures, or any otherprogramming or structural aspect is not mandatory or significant, andthe mechanisms that implement the invention or its features may havedifferent names, formats, or protocols. Also, the particular division offunctionality between the various system components described herein ismerely for purposes of example, and is not mandatory; functionsperformed by a single system component may instead be performed bymultiple components, and functions performed by multiple components mayinstead performed by a single component.

Some portions of above description present the features of the presentinvention in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations ofoperations on information. These algorithmic descriptions andrepresentations are the means used by those skilled in the dataprocessing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their workto others skilled in the art. These operations, while describedfunctionally or logically, are understood to be implemented by computerprograms. Furthermore, it has also proven convenient at times, to referto these arrangements of operations as modules or by functional names,without loss of generality.

Unless specifically stated otherwise as apparent from the abovediscussion, it is appreciated that throughout the description,discussions utilizing terms such as “determining” or “displaying” or thelike, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similarelectronic computing device, that manipulates and transforms datarepresented as physical (electronic) quantities within the computersystem memories or registers or other such information storage,transmission or display devices.

Certain aspects of the present invention include process steps andinstructions described herein in the form of an algorithm. It should benoted that the process steps and instructions of the present inventioncould be embodied in software, firmware or hardware, and when embodiedin software, could be downloaded to reside on and be operated fromdifferent platforms used by real time network operating systems.

The present invention also relates to an apparatus for performing theoperations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for therequired purposes, or it may comprise a general-purpose computerselectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored on acomputer readable medium that can be accessed by the computer. Such acomputer program may be stored in a non-transitory computer readablestorage medium, such as, but is not limited to, any type of diskincluding floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, magnetic-optical disks,read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs,EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, application specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), or any type of computer-readable storage mediumsuitable for storing electronic instructions, and each coupled to acomputer system bus. Furthermore, the computers referred to in thespecification may include a single processor or may be architecturesemploying multiple processor designs for increased computing capability.

The algorithms and operations presented herein are not inherentlyrelated to any particular computer or other apparatus. Variousgeneral-purpose systems may also be used with programs in accordancewith the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct morespecialized apparatus to perform the required method steps. The requiredstructure for a variety of these systems will be apparent to those ofskill in the art, along with equivalent variations. In addition, thepresent invention is not described with reference to any particularprogramming language. It is appreciated that a variety of programminglanguages may be used to implement the teachings of the presentinvention as described herein, and any references to specific languagesare provided for invention of enablement and best mode of the presentinvention.

The present invention is well suited to a wide variety of computernetwork systems over numerous topologies. Within this field, theconfiguration and management of large networks comprise storage devicesand computers that are communicatively coupled to dissimilar computersand storage devices over a network, such as the Internet.

Finally, it should be noted that the language used in the specificationhas been principally selected for readability and instructionalpurposes, and may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribethe inventive subject matter. Accordingly, the disclosure of the presentinvention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scopeof the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumstoring instructions configured to, in response to execution by aprocessor, cause the processor to: receive an order, the ordercomprising a plurality of items; display, via a chat interface, ascrollable list of the plurality of items; receive a selection of itemfrom the scrollable list, the selection indicating that the item was notavailable; in response to receiving the selection, display, via the chatinterface, a set of template messages specifying the item; receive aselection of one of the set of template messages; transmit the templatemessage to a client device; and receive a message indicating a course ofaction for the item.
 2. The non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium of claim 1, wherein each item of the plurality of items isassociated with a different set of template messages.
 3. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein atleast one of the set of template messages indicates that the item is outof stock.
 4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 2, wherein at least one of the set of template messages indicatesthat the item is of poor quality.
 5. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein receiving theselection of one of the set of template messages comprises user inputindicating a quantity of the item.
 6. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein each of the set ofthe template messages may be altered via user input on the chatinterface.
 7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 2, wherein the selected template message includes a remedy.
 8. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 configured tofurther cause the processor to receive a message from the client deviceindicating a course of action for the item.
 9. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 1 configured to further causethe processor to remove the item from the order.
 10. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprisinginstructions that cause the processor to, in response to the course ofaction indicating a replacement option, add the replacement option tothe order.
 11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storinginstructions configured to, in response to execution by a processor,cause the processor to: transmit an order to a client device, the orderincluding a plurality of items; receive a message from the client deviceindicating an item of the plurality of item is not available, themessage received via a chat interface; display, via the chat interface,a set of template messages indicating a course of action for the item;receive a selection of one of the set of template messages; in responseto receiving one of a subset of template messages as the selection:display, via a chat interface, a set of replacement options for theitem; receive a selection of one of the set of replacement options; andtransmit the template message to the client device.
 12. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein theset of replacement options are determined based on the previousreplacement options selected by users of a mobile shopping application.13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11,wherein the set of replacement options are displayed in a slider via thechat interface.
 14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage mediumof claim 11, wherein the set of replacement options are displayed in ascrollable list via the chat interface.
 15. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein at least one ofthe set of template messages indicates to remove the item from theorder.
 16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim11, wherein at least one of the set of template messages comprises userinput indicating an amount of the replacement option.
 17. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, whereineach of the set of the template messages may be altered with user inputvia the chat interface.
 18. The non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium of claim 11, wherein the template message indicates instructionsto refund the item.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium of claim 11, wherein the selected replacement option is specifiedusing user input via the chat interface.
 20. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the set ofreplacement options are determined by instructions causing the processorto: retrieve user data describing previous orders and previouslyselected replacement options; and creating a set of replacement optionsranked based on the user data.